Hānau
/həˈnaʊ/noun
A Hawaiian word meaning to give birth, be born, or offspring, often appearing in personal names and cultural expressions.
Did you know?In Hawaiian thought, hānau can connect birth with the emergence of land, people, and continuing genealogy rather than referring only to biological childbirth.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Polynesian
PPN
*fānau
“To give birth, be born, or produce offspring”
Proto-Eastern Polynesian
PEP
*fānau
“Birth, descendants, or the act of giving birth”
Early Hawaiian
Hawaiian
hānau
“To give birth or bring forth; offspring”
19th Century
Hawaiian
hānau
“Birth, birthplace, descendants, or to be born”
Modern English usage
English
hānau
“A Hawaiian cultural and linguistic term associated with birth, ancestry, and offspring”